DURBAN — Law enforcement agencies in KwaZulu-Natal are on high alert today following early morning disruptions on the N3 corridor linked to a planned national truck drivers’ shutdown.

Officers from the KwaZulu-Natal Road Traffic Inspectorate (RTI) and the South African Police Service (SAPS) have heavily deployed along the critical N2 and N3 economic routes to counter protest actions by the All Truck Drivers Forum and Allied South Africa (ATDFSA).

Early Saturday morning, SAPS officers arrested a prominent national office bearer of the ATDFSA on the N3 southbound near Bergville. The suspect was found in possession of an ATDFSA banner and stones, and has been directly linked to the stoning of a passenger bus at the N3 Colenso Interchange. Two additional truck drivers who attempted to block police vehicles to aid his escape were also taken into custody.

Minor disruptions have been reported along segments of the N3, where protesting drivers forced freight vehicles to stop and removed their ignition keys, leaving approximately 50 trucks temporarily stranded.

RTI spokesperson Sindi Msimang confirmed that teams remain on standby at strategic checkpoints to keep freight lanes moving. Acting KZN Provincial Police Commissioner Major General Phumelele Makoba issued a strict warning, stating that public violence, intimidation of drivers, and blockades of national roads will not be tolerated.

The protest centers on ongoing disputes regarding the employment of foreign national drivers within the logistics sector. While ATDFSA leadership claims today’s actions are independent, the organization has expressed solidarity with the drivers and warned of a separate, larger nationwide shutdown planned for 30 June 2026.